No Time To Breathe? One Thing You Can Leverage On…

An average Lagosian working-class adult is always pressed for time. Typically, there is barely time enough for things which really matter: never enough time to pray, play, love, think or even breathe.

Then, an unplanned, unforeseen necessity crops up ever so often to throw you further behind schedule: for example, an unwarranted bumper-to-bumper traffic which keeps you out for two hours later than usual, a heavy work load which requires you to take a file home; and most popular on the list, a resulting nagging headache and heartache which keeps you bedfast for an hour more …

Then the rush begins again… and on and on the unending cycle goes…

Sigh!

Good news, however is that a hectic life style does not necessarily need to be a death sentence, as one can certainly find or at best learn to create some breathing space and time to catch up with things that really matter in the midst of the madness.

Please enjoy this short excerpt of a related scenario from The Sweet Temptation, and learn one sure banker bail-out that you can always count on at times like this.

* * * * *

It was 5.30am on Tuesday, November 6. Rita awoke with a slight headache.

“Not again!” she sighed. “Lord, please help me… “, she mumbled as she struggled out of bed.

She had overslept for 30 minutes, and as it were, she’d better hurried to freshen up and get going to resume work for the day. And that would mean not enough time to glance at her Bible.

“Never!” She thought. Trust her to create a work around that.

She sang a worship song and mumbled some tongues in the shower, then listened to the first three chapters of John’s Gospel on her phone as she dressed up.

Taking advantage of little solitudes which fill her day, no matter how short, made all the difference. For her, this was a matter of life and death- the thin line between living and existing. It was that serious! Life sure sucks without Christ –devoid of whose touch she would be a total mess. And she could in no wise deny that!

She had just finished her Youth Service with Richard Robinsons® as an IT Support Personnel, and was one of the lucky seven who had been offered a probationary six month contract out of about fifty Corp Members posted to the company. And at the end of the tenure, she stood a chance of gaining a permanent employment. Working with Richard Robinsons® was anyone’s dream!

However, it had been clearly communicated to all beneficiaries of this goodwill by the HR Department that the company would be able to accommodate only two of them, purely on merit, while the remaining five would have to seek for greener pastures else where.

So, even though there was a pressing need for an IT Support Analyst in the Desktop/ Laptop Unit of IT, she knew her HOD would find it hard to justify her services if she fell short, in which case, the department would have to cope with yet another temporary staff- probably another Corp Member to the detriment of the whole of IT.

Such was life at Richard Robinsons®, a South African IT Services company, where Innovation, Excellence, Value for Money, Integrity and Ingenuity were core values. Every thing was based on merit, and there were simply no short cuts. You work for it, you get it!

Besides, everything was done according to budget! There were no nice- to- haves. Take it or leave it!

This was her second month into the ad-hoc agreement, and getting late to work would only limit her chances.

Just as the Bible narrative got to John 3:16, she heard a “honk” outside, and knew she just had to suspend all other ‘arrangements’ till much later. It was already 6.00 am, and by now, she was actually running behind schedule.

Rita shared a flat with a friend at Opebi while her office was at Lekki Phase 2.

That morning, as usual since two weeks earlier, she would be riding to work with Richard, the new Business Development Manager, who had just joined Richard Robinsons the previous month.

Richard was a really nice guy. Still single, very cute and very well spoken.

Besides, the guy was really loaded and had a very cool ride too- a wine 2013 Range Rover Sport to be precise.

Initially, Rita had been excited to learn that Richard stayed only few streets away, as that meant free ride and early arrival to and fro work almost every day, which would also further her chances with Richard Robinsons®.

However, to her dismay, and rather unintentionally, the thrill began to wane some days ago.

Actually, Richard had been the cause of her head ache earlier that morning. It was thoughts of him which had given her an almost sleepless night, and which also resulted in her waking up 30 minutes late.

And as she sprayed on her Vera Wang Princess Eau de Toilet, took a final look into the mirror and stepped out to meet him, her heart literally skipped a beat

When she stepped into the posh car, the butterflies in her tummy played the tricks on her again, and something inside her screamed, “Gosh, this Richard is a really bad guy””… This was because rather innocently, Richard’s choice of music that morning didn’t help matters at all.

Being a very good boy, not a believer though, Richard enjoyed all sort of ‘good’ music.

That morning, he had been listening to Whitney Houston’s “Preacher’s Wife” and the current track playing, “My Heart Is Calling” summarized Rita’s dilemma!

Who would’ve thought of it

That I might feel like this

…

The thing about it is

It’s oh so innocent

I wasn’t looking for

It came knockin’ at my door

I’m trying to do things right

But I’m about to lose this fight…

And every day with you… brings me closer

To my only reservation … you

My sweet temptation …

Oh, my heart is calling

I’m falling for you

Oh, my heart is calling

I’m falling for you…

Surely, Richard was Rita’s temptation because he certainly wasn’t the kind of guy Rita should be falling for! Very clearly!

Nevertheless, she was falling… in fact, she had fallen flat on her face…

He was the demon she needed to bind. The stumbling block she needed to escape!

“Lord, I need Your Help this time” she sighed as she slipped in.

“Good Morning Richard” …she managed to say.

“Good Morning Angel” Richard replied rather innocently.

Rita blushed…

* * * * *

Want more? By popular demand, we have left The Sweet Temptation FREE on all platforms till further notice.

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About Funmi Adebayo

Funmi is a Content Creator and Online Media Strategist. She creates (and implements) Customised Contents and Digital Strategies for Businesses and Professionals to enhance their Brand Performance, Presence and Visibility Online.
She has expertise in Digital Marketing.
When she's not working, she's busy listening to classical music whilst writing another blog post, poem or devotional.